CCNY Falls Short To Baruch In CUNYAC Championship

BRONX, New York , May 10, 2025

The 13-14 CCNY men’s baseball team’s season came to an end at Reinhart Field. The Beavers were defeated 12-19 by the Baruch Bearcats in the CUNYAC championship, losing 1-2 in the series.

The Beavers began the series looking good. They won the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader 5-3.  In that game, Baruch took a 2-0 at the outset, but the Beavers responded at the bottom of the second inning. Freshman Gerard Molinaro knocked out a two-run home run to right field and tied the game. In the third inning, CCNY took the lead when senior Mike Savino singled to the left side and stole second base. He was followed with a double by freshman Demetri Zirogiannis. That brought Savino in to score, making it 3–2. The Beavers closed this game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Savino came up with a crucial two-run double to left. That brought CCNY a 5–3 lead and closed out Baruch in game one of the series.

But the Beavers weren’t able to replicate the same success in the next two games. Baruch won game two that afternoon 9-4. The following day, on Sunday, Baruch won 14-10. That close out the series and clinched the CUNYAC championship for Baruch .

The Beavers did push. They tried to bounce back after the first loss and fought their way through the third game. Coach Christopher Jimenez said coaches told the players to keep their focus. “The message was to stay even keel no matter the situation. Whether we are up or down, keep the focus and concentration,” Jimenez said.

That message stuck with the Beavers as they surged to late pushes in both games. Game two saw four runs on a two-RBI double from freshman Demetri Zirogiannis, followed by a two-run home run by sophomore Jake Brenner in the ninth inning. Sunday’s game three saw a monstrous six-run charge from the Beavers erasing that 11-3 at the bottom of seventh. They even recorded a season-high 22 hits in that game as well.

But ultimately their outstanding offensive efforts weren’t enough. When asked about what could’ve been better for the Beavers this series, Coach Jimenez said, “Bringing in runners on base in multiple situations, as well as our pitching staff getting ahead of batters more often.”

The Beavers now look ahead to next season and plan to build with the 16 returning upper and lower classmen they will have on their roster.